You might be asking yourself, what exactly are canker sores? They are small lesions or ulcers that can develop in your mouth. These small ulcers can appear at the base of your gums, inside the surfaces of your lips or cheeks, under or on your tongue, and even on your soft palate. They are unlike cold sores because they aren’t typically found on the surface of your lips.
Most of these shallow, minor sores are round or oval shaped. They also tend to have a yellow or white center with a reddish border. On a positive note, they normally heal without scarring within approximately 1-2 weeks! If you’ve ever experienced a similar sore but it was larger and deeper, you probably had a major canker sore. Major canker sores are more painful, larger, deeper, and can leave behind unfortunate scarring. The shape of major canker sores are, most often, round with distinct borders. They have a longer healing period that lasts about 6 weeks.
Are They Contagious?
Good news! Fortunately, canker sores, unlike cold sores, are not contagious! However, they can be painful and that is dependent on the size of your canker sores. Also, some people notice a tingling or burning response in their mouth a few days before they break out.
Are They Painful?
As we discussed, minor canker sores tend to be less irritating than major canker sores. Minor canker sores have quicker healing rates, zero scarring, and cause less distress in your mouth. Unfortunately, major canker sores are packed with longer healing time frames, scarring, and more overall stress in the mouth. However, there are ways to speed up the healing rates at home, which we will touch on in a little bit.
What Causes Them?
It’s not so black and white. The exact cause of canker sores isn’t fully clear but there are a number of “possible causes” listed below. If you can work to eliminate these causes, then your mouth should remain pain free from these mysterious lesions.
- Diet: If your body is lacking in essential vitamins and minerals, a canker sore breakout could be a signal to warn you, eat healthier! Are you lacking in B-12, zinc, folate, or iron? Include more food items within your diet that provide additional amounts of these vitamins and minerals.
- Sensitivity to Particular Foods: Maybe you are gluten intolerant or extra sensitive to spicy or acidic foods, dairy, or chocolate. Narrowing down potential food sensitivities would be a wise choice, especially if you have frequent breakouts.
- Viral or Bacterial Infections: Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria that can cause infections including peptic ulcers and gastritis.
- Allergies: Some people develop allergic responses to unfavorable bacteria present inside the mouth.
- Minor Injuries: Cheek biting, sports injuries, and overactive toothbrushing can cause these irritating lesions to form. If your struggling with toothbrushing, you might find our tips for brushing your teeth helpful!
- Emotional Distress: This includes all departments of life. If you are currently experiencing life distress whether it be stemming from work, socializing, volunteering, or lack of sleep, canker sores can creep up on you. It’s all about orchestrating a work-life balance that is functional for you!
- Hormonal Transitions: Think about menstruation mainly, females!
- Specific Diseases: Some diseases can cause canker sore breakouts like Celiac disease, Inflammatory bowel diseases, a weak immune system, Behcet’s disease, and HIV/AIDS.
What Can You Do To Heal Canker Sores
Let’s examine some remedies to help heal canker sores!
- Apply Gels and Creams: Some gel/cream options include Lidocaine (anesthetic cream), Clobetasol (gel or ointment), and Triamcinolone Dental Paste.
- Mouthrinse: Warm salt water rinses or baking soda rinses are great at home remedies! For the baking soda rinse, just dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda into ½ cup of warm water. A hydrogen peroxide rinse is another effective mouthwash that you can use! It acts as both an antibiotic and antiviral solution.
- Ice: Some people apply ice to their shallow wounds. The ice will cause a nice numbing effect and reduce inflammation! Using ice chips vs. an entire ice cube is recommended. If you have canker sores, it will be an opportunity to eat your favorite ice pops too!
- Milk of Magnesia: Milk of Magnesia is a solution that contains magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide transforms the pH in your mouth, subsequently, neutralizing the acids. This, not only, helps to prevent more canker sores from forming, but comforts the existing sores by decreasing associated irritation and pain.
- Avoid Certain Foods: Try to stay away from salty, spicy, sour, or hot foods until your sores disappear!
Embrace A Sore-Free Smile
We’ve all experienced a canker sore here and there, most likely due to stress or food irritation. In this article, we hope you have gained a clearer understanding of what canker sores are. Maybe you’ve been put at ease knowing that they are not contagious! Yes, they are painful, but understanding their causes has given you more insight into ways to prevent them.
Even if you are dealing with these small lesions presently, you’ve been guided on ways to help your sores heal in no time! We are thrilled that you’ve taken the time to read this article and hope that you will give us a call for more guidance! Shorewood Family Dental Care is just a phone call away at 815-725-5991. We truly look forward to finding the best solutions for your mouth!
